


the disc

by timeblitz



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Fear, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No Romance, Panic Attacks, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), this takes place after ranboos last stream 1.15
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeblitz/pseuds/timeblitz
Summary: When Ranboo finds the disc, carefully hidden under the ground near his shack, all he can feel is dread. He knows he has to leave.
Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 461





	the disc

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry that this is a little sloppy, I wrote it last night when I wasn't feeling the best so it be like that 🤠

Ranboo was exhausted. So, very exhausted. After finding that cursed disc, his mind has been reeling, going around and around in the same circles. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember Dream giving this to him but the very fact that he had it in his hands right now obviously proved he _did_. There was no other way he could have gotten a hold of this, Dream would never let anyone he didn't want to even look at the damn thing. Now more than ever, Ranboo hated his flakey and unreliable memory. He hated himself.

He had to leave. That would be the most responsible thing to do. Just being here was a crime, especially now that he was aware of what he'd apparently done. Phil and Techno had taken him in willingly, fed him, and gave him shelter. Gave him hope. Ranboo knew what had happened with Tommy, how badly it had shaken Techno despite his best efforts to pretend it was nothing more than a hiccup in his plans. Techno had already been struck by the poisonous fangs of betrayal. Ranboo hadn't wanted to make it any worse, he even wrote it all down in his book just in case! And Phil…. Phil had gone out of his way to make Ranboo comfortable, make him feel welcome. Whenever the topic of Tommy came up, the older man got this distant look, one full of disappointment and pain. Ranboo could already imagine that look turned towards him and it made him shudder. He couldn’t be a Tommy, not to them.

So yes. Ranboo had to leave. There was no way he could stick around, not with the disc in his possession. It just made the whole place a bright red target for everyone who lived here. Seeing as he couldn't remember a single damn thing about Dream giving it to him, it was safe to assume any information he had learned about Techno and Phil might have been leaked too. He couldn't trust himself and they shouldn't trust him either. 

Painstakingly, Ranboo pulled himself up from the cold hard ground, entire body shaking with the effort. After finding the disc he had just collapsed on himself, sobbing and uncaring about the cold snow melting into his clothes and itching at his skin. He dragged himself to the chest and carefully extracted the disc. He glanced around the now ruined clearing, grimacing at how he had ruined the lawn. "Phil's gonna be so upset…" He muttered to himself, then gave a small dry laugh. Phil was going to be upset about a lot more than just the state of the yard. 

As fate would have it, before he could even consider what he should take with him, he heard voices, and not the ones in his head. Phil and Techno were back from wherever they had gone this morning and Ranboo felt another strong slap of panic hit him. His mind began to quickly flicker over his affairs, unable to formulate any solid plan. He would have to leave his pets, his gear, his new _home._ Ranboo practically flung himself at his hidden chest, digging out his memory book with a near feral groan. He couldn't leave this no matter what. He couldn't lose it again. 

"Ranboo, what the fuck happened?" Ranboo flinched and swung around, seeing Phil standing alone at the edge of the pit he had dug. Techno must have gone inside. "Are you alright, mate?" 

"I…" Ranboo stared at him for a long moment before pushing himself into action. He took off running, scrambling across the frozen ground in the opposite direction of Phil. Running was the one thing he was good at. 

"Ranboo!" Phil started, eyes glancing around the clearing again in shock. He was quick to follow after the tall boy, shouting out for Techno but not waiting to see if the other heard him from inside the house. "Ranboo, stop!" 

Ranboo refused to look back, knowing that he'd be ruined if he were to look Phil in the eyes. He ran as fast as he could, the cold air stinging against his still damp cheeks. He was ruined anyways, but the longer he could ignore it, the further he could get. The further he could get, the safer Phil and Techno would be. He reached the woods, hoping that the trees and brush would help him lose Phil. It might have helped if he had practiced the route, or at least been more used to running through the dense woods. The low hanging branches smacked at his head and the bushes snagged his clothes, slowing him down just as much as Phil. 

Without much warning, Ranboo tripped on a gnarled root and fell. He twisted himself around the disc and book in his arms, their safety took priority. Hitting the ground wasn't the best feeling. It knocked the wind out of him but he forced himself to crawl under a nearby bush when he heard Phil call out for him again. He tried to stay quiet, biting down on his lip to stop his teeth from chattering too loudly as he pushed himself further into the sharp branches of the bush. 

Phil carefully yet quickly made his way through the trees, calling out for Ranboo as he went. "Whatever happened, we can fix it! C'mon pal, I just want to help." He had seen the young boy trip but hadn't been able to tell if he had gotten back up again or not. Ranboo held his breath as the older man reached the area where he had fallen. Phil took a long moment to study the disturbed snow and Ranboo internally cursed when he started to sweep the area. He was trapped. If he stayed here it was only a matter of time before Phil found his bush, but if he tried to make a run for it Phil would see and hear as he struggled to get out of the bush he had so foolishly forced himself into. 

He'd have to at least try and run. There was always a chance he could be faster, or find a way to lose Phil. If he stayed in the bush he'd eventually be found no matter what. Ranboo kept his eyes trained on Phil, not daring to even blink. As soon as the man turned his back to him, Ranboo rolled forward, ignoring how the branches tore at his skin and his lungs already burned. Phil turned around with a start and shouted as Ranboo got to his feet and ran. 

He knew Phil was mere feet behind him and tried to spur himself on faster to no avail. He was so damn tired, it was honestly pure adrenaline and fear that had even gotten him this far. He stopped looking where he was going for only a moment to check how close Phil was and smacked into something, instantly sending himself to the ground yet again.

Disoriented, it took him a few dizzying moments to realize Techno had finally joined the fray, and that he had run straight into him. Luckily, the pigman obviously hadn't been expecting Ranboo to run headfirst into him and was a little thrown off as well. Not as luckily, his recovery time was much faster than Ranboo's and the panicked boy soon found himself pinned to the ground with both Techno and Phil leaning over him. 

He struggled to form any coherent words, garbling nonsense as he thrashed against Techno's firm grip. He was done for, this was it. A long and loud enderman cry wormed its way out of his mouth and even though he saw Phil's mouth moving, the drumming in his ears completely drowned out whatever the man was saying. Techno plucked him up with little to no effort and threw him over his shoulder. The action jarred his side which apparently was actually quite sore from falling and he screeched in pain, his vision blurring. 

Each thundering step of Techno caused his side to ache, and with burning lungs and a pounding head, Ranboo found it easier to drift off into a murky blackness than keep fighting to hang on. 

-

When Ranboo awoke, he had a few blissful moments where he couldn't remember why he hurt and what had happened. Propping himself up on his arms with a low groan, he took in his surroundings and quickly realized he wasn't in his little shack but instead in the house upstairs. Phil sat on a chair he had pulled up alongside the bed and Techno leaned against a wall in the back. "Hey mate, you alright?" Phil asked carefully, and suddenly the day's events came back to him in a rush. 

"Oh god." Ranboo slapped a hand up to his mouth, eyes darting around frantically. Where was the disc? The book? He soon found them propped up against the enchanting table, out where he could see them but had no hope of taking them before Techno could stop him. With a shuddery breath, Ranboo pushed himself into a sitting position and gingerly felt his now quite bruised ribs. He tried so hard to push back his panic, to deal with this new situation the best he could, but quickly found himself crying yet again. It was all so unfair. 

"Hey." Phil's gentle voice drew him back in, and Ranboo looked to him with watery eyes. "Can you tell me what happened? How'd you get that disc, and why did you run like that?" 

"I betrayed you." Ranboo got out, quite miserably. He couldn't miss the way Techno's hand went to the weapon on his belt, nor the sharp intake of breath from his confession. Ranboo dropped his gaze, unwilling to look at either of the men he had quickly come to care for. "I, I ruined everything. Dream was right. I was the one who… who… And then I-" 

Phil put a reassuring hand on Ranboo's shoulder. "You're alright son, try to calm down. When did you see Dream?" 

"I didn't." Ranboo took a shuddery breath and closed his eyes. "I hear him, in my head. I've got these voices. These stupid, awful voices and he's one of em. He, he told me _I_ was the one who blew up the community house. And I didn't want to believe that but he's the voice in _my_ head which means he's gotta be me, yeah?" Techno and Phil shared a sharp look at this, unbeknownst to the rambling boy. "And then there was the tnt I found but I still couldn't believe it so he told me about the disc and I was like, no way I have that! But then I found it anyways! And if I have it then that means he was right and that I helped Dream and if I did enough for him to give me one of Tommy's discs then I must have done quite a lot but I can't remember any of it! And if I-"

"Ranboo." Technoblade's monotone voice broke through Ranboo's tirade and made the younger boy jump. 

Ranboo's eyes widened and his breathing picked up. "Oh god, Techno. I never wanted to betray you, I promise. I don't know what I could have told Dream but I don't think I would have purposely given up anything big. I'm not even sure if I know anything big but if I do then-"

" _Ranboo."_ His voice was much more stern. "Please stop talking." Ranboo snapped his mouth shut, quiet, upset noises leaking past his clenched teeth despite his best efforts. Techno pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated look that made Ranboo want to curl in on himself and disappear. "I don't think you betrayed me." He held up a hand to stop the boy from speaking before he could hardly open his mouth. "I don't even believe that you blew up the community house. The disc is a bit more of a mystery but you having it doesn't directly go against me. Why are you so convinced you've acted against us?"

Ranboo stalled. "B-because I've been helping Dream. I've had the disc for who knows how long, and with everyone on the server wanting it, I've placed a target on you by keeping it here. I've been keeping it all a secret from you!"

"I hardly think something counts as a secret if you yourself didn't know about it." Phil pointed out. He gave Ranboo's shoulder a squeeze before dropping his hand to his lap. "When did the voice tell you about the disc?'

"Today." Ranboo had finally started to calm down, though his hands still shook. "I went to confront him. I thought if I talked it through with myself then I could figure out if the Dream voice was just making things up or not. I thought… that maybe I was just making it all up because of the stress, because I hadn't heard Dream until I made my little safety room, yeah? But then I found the disc and… Well…" He gave an empty laugh. "Everything's so fucked. It's so fucked and I keep ruining everything." 

"Don't say that. C'mere." Phil pulled the boy into a loose hug, which Ranboo quickly sunk into after his initial instinct to push away had passed. "You should have told us. We've… got some experience with the whole voices thing. We could have helped you figure it out." 

"I'm not entirely convinced that the voice is all in your head either. It seems… too convenient. At least with how Dream treated Tommy and everything. I don't trust it." Techno's voice trailed off, something flickering in his eyes. "Later I want to see that room of yours. I'm going to go fill in the crater you left in the yard. Come get me if you need me." And with that, the tank of a man was pushing himself off the wall and climbing down the ladder, seemingly content enough with what he got out of Ranboo. 

Everything he said honestly had Ranboo feeling more confused but at least he didn't seem to be too mad. Still, the guilt seeped deeply into him and he clasped his hands together to stop them from trembling. "I'm sorry." He said quietly to Phil, still refusing to look at him. 

"Nothing to be sorry for. If anything I'm the one who should apologize. I've been trying to make you comfortable but you kept this all to yourself and ran when I came back, so obviously I haven't been doing the best job. I didn't want to be too forward but perhaps I ought to be." Phil gave Ranboo's sleeve a light tug, finally getting the hybrid to look over to him. "You remind me… a lot of my kids. I see you struggling and I want to help. I don't want to fail you like I did them. I need you to let me know when there's something I can do to make things easier on you."

"Phil…" Ranboo felt his eyes watering again, though this time it was less from panic and more from relief. Maybe things _could_ be okay. "I really don't know what to say."

"Then don't. Rest up, we can talk more about all this when you're doing a bit better." Phil drew back and patted the pillow. "We need to decide what to do about that pesky little disc, and maybe Dream too. We'll see." 

"I think…" Ranboo hesitated, but seeing the encouraging look Phil gave him the push to carry on. "I think maybe the disc should go back to its rightful owner. I know what all happened with Tommy but I think despite it all, if you were the one to give it back to him it could go a long way. Unless that's maybe a bit much, I don't want to be pushy!" He quickly tacked on.

Phil gave a small yet thoughtful chuckle. "Maybe. Might make Dream a bit mad but maybe it's worth it. Like I said, we can think about this all later. Try to get some sleep, okay?" Phil stood up from his chair and stretched. "Goodnight son." 

The way he said son this time hit differently, filling Ranboo's chest with the first light feeling he had felt all day. With the smallest of smiles, Ranboo sunk back down into the bed, his eyes and head heavy. "Thank you." He murmured as Phil pressed his foot against the rung of the ladder. The older man paused for a second before nodding, mostly to himself, then headed downstairs to help Techno and discuss. 

Things admittedly weren't much better than they were before, Ranboo still had the war starting disc, a patchy memory, and the echoes of everything Dream's voice had said lingered, but he felt better regardless. Phil had the right idea, some rest would do him wonders after the emotional rollercoaster he had been forced on today. He'd find a way to make this all up to them, he promised himself. It would be alright.


End file.
